Pinxterbloom Azalea

Staff spotted this Pinxterbloom Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) in the forest, but there are flowering shrubs like it all over Hawk Mountain this time of year. Hummingbirds, swallowtail butterflies, bees, and other native pollinators are attracted to the trumpet-shaped pink flowers that appear in clusters all over the plant. Blooms occur before the leaves are fully formed in the spring, lending to its former species name nudiflorum, which is Latin for “naked-flowered.” The Pinxterbloom azalea’s native range includes much of the northeastern U.S. in moist woodland and swamp regions.

Photo by Laura Berry.